One man’s leftovers are another man’s entrée – or they will be, if Kitchens on the Geaux has anything to do with it.
The new student organization was designed by students to collect unused food from campus, cook it and donate it to needy families in Baton Rouge.
Scott Burke, mechanical engineering junior and vice president of the organization, said Kitchens on the Geaux was formed to give University students a chance to fix a major problem in the city.
“I grew up in Baton Rouge and noticed a large need in the community,” Burke said. “When you take wasted food and give it to the hungry, you’re really doing a great service.”
Burke said the group found a kitchen in the Human Ecology Building to cook leftover food. He plans to find organizations and facilities on campus willing to donate unused food.
“If you have leftovers in the dining hall or at an event, school policy is to throw it out,” he said. “We’d prefer it go to a better cause.”
Once the food is cooked, Burke said it will be delivered to areas in the community that
need it.
Ryan Hutchinson, finance sophomore and director of finance for the organization, said the group is working with the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank to accomplish its goals.
“They’re going to let us know areas that need food, and we’ll take donations, then deliver the food to individuals,” he said.
Burke said he plans for group members to get certified to prepare food this summer so the organization can hit the ground running in the fall.
Hutchinson said the group has spent most of this semester getting organized and planning for the years to come.
“We can really use LSU and the campus to get the organization going,” he said. “LSU just has vast resources, and it’s great that we can use those to increase awareness about local hunger and world hunger.”
Hutchinson said the group is currently looking for students to fill leadership roles next semester, as two of its officials will graduate in May.
After that’s been decided, the organization will begin recruiting students to volunteer to cook and deliver meals.
“We’re really going to hit recruitment hard next semester,” he said. “We’re really going to get our name out there and find students to join us.”
 
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Contact Rachel Warren at [email protected]